Is Machine Learning Over Hyped?

Is machine learning currently overhyped? originally appeared on Quora – the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. Answer by Scott Aaronson, Theoretical computer scientist at MIT, soon to be at UT Austin, on Quora. There are things like the ideological significance of toenails, which few people talk about and few should. There are things like half-exponential functions, which few people talk about but many should. There are things like Deflategate or manspreading or the dresses worn at the Oscars, which many people talk about but few should. And then there are things like World War II, global warming, black holes, or machine learning, which many people talk about and probably many should. It’s always hard to judge whether a thing in the fourth…